Retiring K-9s have seen their share of action

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 08:02 PM.

Photo Galleries

They’re both highly regarded enforcers of the law, with a track record of sniffing out leads and chasing down crooks.

But soon they’ll each hang up their badges and officially retire to a life of contentment and kibble.

Vador and Canto are two of the five K-9s in the Gastonia Police Department’s field services division. They’re 10 and 8 and a half years old, respectively, and have patrolled the city’s streets – and often woods, backyards and other bad guy hiding places – for most of their lives.

Time catches up with even the best officers, however, and the two German shepherds are no exception. Old age and health issues will cause them to formally call it a career soon.

“Typically, 10 years or so is a real good run for the K-9s,” said Gastonia Police Chief Stacy Conley. “These two dogs, they did a real good service for us.”

Both will likely be released into the care of K-9 handlers as pets.

Gastonia has slots for six K-9 positions, but one of the dogs died last year. With the retirement of Vador and Canto, the department will soon purchase three new dogs, Conley said.

They’re both highly regarded enforcers of the law, with a track record of sniffing out leads and chasing down crooks.

But soon they’ll each hang up their badges and officially retire to a life of contentment and kibble.

Vador and Canto are two of the five K-9s in the Gastonia Police Department’s field services division. They’re 10 and 8 and a half years old, respectively, and have patrolled the city’s streets – and often woods, backyards and other bad guy hiding places – for most of their lives.

Time catches up with even the best officers, however, and the two German shepherds are no exception. Old age and health issues will cause them to formally call it a career soon.

“Typically, 10 years or so is a real good run for the K-9s,” said Gastonia Police Chief Stacy Conley. “These two dogs, they did a real good service for us.”

Both will likely be released into the care of K-9 handlers as pets.

Gastonia has slots for six K-9 positions, but one of the dogs died last year. With the retirement of Vador and Canto, the department will soon purchase three new dogs, Conley said.

The well-trained animals cost more than $7,000 a piece. Gastonia will pay for that in part with $230,000 it received as a reimbursement from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, for providing officers during the Democratic National Convention, Conley said.

Conley said the dogs provide an invaluable service to police, and Vador and Canto have proven that.

Can-do Canto

Officer Ronnie Bozardt became Canto’s handler after inheriting the shepherd from another officer 18 months ago.

“He weighs 100 pounds, and for a dog like him, that’s big,” he said, as Canto barked in the background, perhaps in objection. “We like to keep them around 70 or 80 pounds. It’s easier for them to jump fences and stuff.”

Like his peers, Canto was dual-trained to track both suspects and narcotics. He’s sniffed lockers during school drug sweeps and has been called to homes when officers are serving warrants and believe drugs may be on the premises.

Canto was involved in tracking a suspect in an armed robbery just last week.

He said Canto has found about $10,000 in cash during narcotic searches of late. On one occasion, a state trooper had stopped a vehicle on I-85 and called for a K-9 to search it. Canto alerted authorities to the fact that one of the women in the car had $5,000 in cash in her pants.

“The thought was they’d made a drug delivery and were on their way back to Georgia with the money,” Bozardt said.

Canto has been a good playmate with Bozardt’s children at home. But when he gets in the police car or has the 30-foot tracking lead attached to his collar, “he knows it’s time to go to work.”

Bozardt already owns a retired K-9, so a fellow officer will be “adopting” Canto.

“He’s done good,” he said. “So it’s time to let him rest out his days.”

Vigilant Vador

Sgt. Thomas Doby was Vador’s second handler, and has been paired with the K-9 about six years.

The two bonded after training and becoming accustomed to one another.

“He’s a real sociable dog and has a good personality,” Doby said. “He was a solid dog as far as drug work goes. His tracking was great.”

Vador tracked between 150 and 175 suspects in the last six years, Doby estimated. One of the most memorable cases came one night in 2008. A Mississippi law enforcement officer, who was traveling through the area and staying here overnight, was murdered in a motel parking lot.

Vador led police to a neighboring motel and a room where two teenagers had been, then to another residence elsewhere where they had fled. Both of them were eventually caught, charged and convicted of the killing.

In another incident before that, a teenager stabbed two nurses at Gaston Memorial Hospital before stealing an ID badge and fleeing the scene, Doby said. Starting from the hospital parking lot, Vador brushed aside the challenges of picking up a scent from asphalt and started the hunt.

“We tracked (the suspect) for the better part of a mile and found him,” Doby said. “That led to (Vador) getting a couple of commendations.”

Vador was already having health problems, so he was taken out of service when Doby was promoted and moved out of the K-9 division three months ago. Doby expects to be awarded possession when the German shepherd retires and is declared surplus property soon.

“He’s my buddy,” he said. “To this day, I still look back in my car and it’s odd with him not being there.

“The good thing now is that he’ll just get to relax and play.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.